The Cardinals’ front office overhaul already looks a lot different from the old days, and John Mozeliak’s first move as interim general manager of the Los Angeles Angels only sharpened that contrast.
On Wednesday night, Mozeliak sent catcher Logan O'Hoppe and pitcher Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers in exchange for infield prospect Angel Arredondo. It was a light return, and for Cardinals fans, it served as another reminder of why St. Louis is in a better spot with Chaim Bloom running baseball operations.
Bloom took over for Mozeliak after 18 years, and the Cardinals made sweeping changes last offseason under his watch. That was the reset a restless fan base had been waiting for after growing tired of the way things had been done.
The difference shows up most clearly in how St. Louis is approaching the trade market now.
According to Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Cardinals are aiming to land “meaningful pieces” for their trade chips, especially Ryne Stanek and Dustin May. That’s the same kind of approach they used at last year’s deadline, when Mozeliak was still in charge but Bloom had plenty of influence over the return.
The contrast with 2023 is hard to miss. Mozeliak had full control then, and the haul didn’t amount to much.
Tekoah Roby has struggled to stay healthy, Thomas Saggese hasn’t developed into the player the Cardinals expected, and Matt Svanson flashed some promise last year before sliding back. Svanson is the only one of the group who has shown any real upside, while many of the other pieces Mozeliak acquired are either still buried in the minors or gone from the organization altogether.
Arredondo, meanwhile, wasn’t even a top-30 prospect in the Rangers’ system, which only underscored how little Mozeliak got back in the deal.
There may be more trades coming, and Cardinals fans will be watching closely. What they’ve seen from Bloom so far has them believing St. Louis can do better when it sells - that the club can come away with useful pieces that actually fit into the future.
That’s the shift the Cardinals needed. After years of sitting in the middle under Mozeliak, Bloom has given the organization a different path.
The next test comes this summer, with the deadline approaching and St. Louis still within striking distance, even if several teams sit ahead of them.
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Cubs Just Pulled A Pitching Change Cardinals Fans Will Notice
With the trade deadline looming, the Cubs have already started shuffling their pitching plans for the final weekend before August 3. Chicago is lining up Shota Imanaga, David Peterson and Colin Rea for the series, a setup that changes the look of the rotation just as the calendar turns and the market begins to settle.
For Cardinals fans, the part worth watching is how the Cubs are mapping out the days around the deadline rather than just the weekend itself. Javier Assad is expected to handle the first game after the deadline, which suggests Chicago is trying to bridge the gap until any new arm is ready to take over, while Imanaga continues to carry the kind of recent form that makes every turn through the rotation feel a little more consequential. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Wont Like Who Could Be On The Trade Block
The Cardinals are heading toward the trade deadline as clear sellers, and the list of names that could come up is already familiar: pitchers like Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien and Ryne Stanek, plus a few others who might fit a market looking for help. For a club trying to sort out both the present and the future, these next few weeks figure to be more about trimming than adding, especially if the front office decides it needs to clear room for younger pieces.
What makes the conversation more complicated is the possibility that a productive left-handed bat could be part of that shuffle. St. Louis has a surplus in that area, and there is a real argument that moving one of those hitters could help create roster flexibility, even if it comes at a cost to the offense. The Cardinals also have to weigh what they want their lineup to look like beyond this season, which is why the trade-deadline picture feels a little less straightforward than a simple seller's checklist. [Read more 🡒]